US diplomat calls on the Assad regime to resume the Constitutional Committee meetings and participate in good faith

The Deputy Representative to the United Nations, Jeffrey DeLaurentis, called on, during a UN Security Council session, the Assad regime to resume the Syrian Constitutional Committee meetings in Geneva, and to participate with good intention.

DeLaurentis said that the Syrian people do not need more violence, but rather they need constructive dialogue, pointing out that the current conditions are still not conducive to the safe, voluntary and dignified return of refugees.

DeLaurentis called for extending the authorization of humanitarian aid delivery to northwest Syria through Bab al-Hawa, Bab al-Salam, and al-Rai border crossings for 12 months.

The UN Special Envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, previously said that he had spoken with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in Moscow, about “the need to reconvene the Syrian Constitutional Committee as soon as possible.”

Pedersen added that “he discussed with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov ways to strengthen the political process in Syria, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254, taking into consideration the recent international and regional developments.”